NORSE MYTHOLOGY, pre-Christian religious beliefs of the Norse people. The Norse legends and myths about ancient heroes, gods, and the creation and destruction of the universe developed out of the original common mythology of the Germanic peoples and constitute the primary source of knowledge about ancient German mythology. Because Norse mythology was transmitted and altered by medieval Christian historians, the original pagan religious beliefs, attitudes, and practices cannot be determined with certainty. Clearly, however, Norse mythology developed slowly, and the relative importance of different gods and heroes varied at different times and places. Thus, the cult of Odin, chief of the gods, may have spread from western Germany to Scandinavia not long before the myths were recorded; minor gods including Ull, the fertility god Njord, and Heimdallmay represent older deities who lost strength and popularity as Odin became more important. Odin, a god of war, was also associated with learning, wisdom, poetry, and magic.

Most information about Norse mythology is preserved in the Old Norse literature, in the Eddas and later sagas; other material appears in commentaries by the Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus and the German writer Adam of Bremen (fl. about 1075). Fragments of legends are sometimes preserved in old inscriptions and in later folklore.Gods and Heroes. Besides Odin, the major deities of Norse mythology were his wife, Frigg, goddess of the home; Thor, god of thunder, who protected humans and the other gods from the giants and who was especially popular among the Norse peasantry; Frey, a god of prosperity; and Freya, sister of Frey, a fertility goddess. Other, lesser gods were Balder, Hermod, Tyr, Bragi, and Forseti; Idun, Nanna, and Sif were among the goddesses. The principle of evil among the gods was represented by the trickster Loki. Many of these deities do not seem to have had special functions; they merely appear as characters in legendary tales.

Many ancient mythological heroes, some of whom may have been derived from real persons, were believed to be descendants of the gods; among them were Sigurd the Dragon-slayer; Helgi Thrice-Born, Harald Wartooth, Hadding, Starkad, and the Valkyries. The Valkyries, a band of warrior-maidens that included Svava and Brunhild, served Odin as choosers of slain warriors, who were taken to reside in Valhalla. There the warriors would spend their days fighting and nights feasting until Ragnarok, the day of the final world battle, in which the old gods would perish and a new reign of peace and love would be instituted. Ordinary individuals were received after death by the goddess Hel in a cheerless underground world.

Norse mythology included dwarves; elves; and the Norns, who distributed fates to mortals. The ancient Norse also believed in personal spirits, such as the fylgja and the hamingja, which in some respects resembled the Christian idea of the soul. The gods were originally conceived as a confederation of two formerly warring divine tribes, the Aesir and the Vanir. Odin was originally the leader of the Aesir, which consisted of at least 12 gods. Together all the gods lived in Asgard Creation Myth. The Eddic poem Völuspá (Prophecy of the Seeress) portrays a period of primeval chaos, followed by the creation of giants and gods and, finally, of humankind. Ginnungagap was the yawning void, Jotunheim the home of the giants, Niflheim the region of cold, and Muspellsheim the realm of heat. The great world-tree, Yggdrasil, reached through all time and space, but it was perpetually under attack from Nidhogg, the evil serpent. The fountain of Mimir, source of hidden wisdom, lay under a root of the tree. Religious Ritual. The Norse gods were served by a class of priest-chieftains called godar. Worship was originally conducted outdoors, under guardian trees, near sacred wells, or within sacred arrangements of stones. Later, wooden temples were used, with altars and with carved representations of the gods. The most important temple was at Old Uppsala, Sweden, where animals and even human beings were sacrificed.

  

NORSE MYTHOLOGY, pre-Christian religious beliefs of the Norse people. The Norse legends and myths about ancient heroes, gods, and the creation and destruction of the universe developed out of the original common mythology of the Germanic peoples and constitute the primary source of knowledge about ancient German mythology. Because Norse mythology was transmitted and altered by medieval Christian historians, the original pagan religious beliefs, attitudes, and practices cannot be determined with certainty. Clearly, however, Norse mythology developed slowly, and the relative importance of different gods and heroes varied at different times and places. Thus, the cult of Odin, chief of the gods, may have spread from western Germany to Scandinavia not long before the myths were recorded; minor gods including Ull, the fertility god Njord, and Heimdallmay represent older deities who lost strength and popularity as Odin became more important. Odin, a god of war, was also associated with learning, wisdom, poetry, and magic.

Most information about Norse mythology is preserved in the Old Norse literature, in the Eddas and later sagas; other material appears in commentaries by the Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus and the German writer Adam of Bremen (fl. about 1075). Fragments of legends are sometimes preserved in old inscriptions and in later folklore.Gods and Heroes. Besides Odin, the major deities of Norse mythology were his wife, Frigg, goddess of the home; Thor, god of thunder, who protected humans and the other gods from the giants and who was especially popular among the Norse peasantry; Frey, a god of prosperity; and Freya, sister of Frey, a fertility goddess. Other, lesser gods were Balder, Hermod, Tyr, Bragi, and Forseti; Idun, Nanna, and Sif were among the goddesses. The principle of evil among the gods was represented by the trickster Loki. Many of these deities do not seem to have had special functions; they merely appear as characters in legendary tales.

Many ancient mythological heroes, some of whom may have been derived from real persons, were believed to be descendants of the gods; among them were Sigurd the Dragon-slayer; Helgi Thrice-Born, Harald Wartooth, Hadding, Starkad, and the Valkyries. The Valkyries, a band of warrior-maidens that included Svava and Brunhild, served Odin as choosers of slain warriors, who were taken to reside in Valhalla. There the warriors would spend their days fighting and nights feasting until Ragnarok, the day of the final world battle, in which the old gods would perish and a new reign of peace and love would be instituted. Ordinary individuals were received after death by the goddess Hel in a cheerless underground world.

Norse mythology included dwarves; elves; and the Norns, who distributed fates to mortals. The ancient Norse also believed in personal spirits, such as the fylgja and the hamingja, which in some respects resembled the Christian idea of the soul. The gods were originally conceived as a confederation of two formerly warring divine tribes, the Aesir and the Vanir. Odin was originally the leader of the Aesir, which consisted of at least 12 gods. Together all the gods lived in Asgard Creation Myth. The Eddic poem Völuspá (Prophecy of the Seeress) portrays a period of primeval chaos, followed by the creation of giants and gods and, finally, of humankind. Ginnungagap was the yawning void, Jotunheim the home of the giants, Niflheim the region of cold, and Muspellsheim the realm of heat. The great world-tree, Yggdrasil, reached through all time and space, but it was perpetually under attack from Nidhogg, the evil serpent. The fountain of Mimir, source of hidden wisdom, lay under a root of the tree. Religious Ritual. The Norse gods were served by a class of priest-chieftains called godar. Worship was originally conducted outdoors, under guardian trees, near sacred wells, or within sacred arrangements of stones. Later, wooden temples were used, with altars and with carved representations of the gods. The most important temple was at Old Uppsala, Sweden, where animals and even human beings were sacrificed.

The Norse Gods

Aegir Asgard

Balder Bragi

Forseti Frey

Freya Frigg

Heimdall Hodur

Loki Odin

Thor Tyr

Ullr Ve

Vili Vithar

Aegir

Aegir is the god of the sea. He is also known as Hler. Aegir was often called the ruler of the sea in the Poetic Edda. He was a personification of the ocean, be it good or evil. He caused storms with his anger, and the Skalds (Viking poets) said a ship went into "Aegir's wide jaws" when it wrecked. Aegir was often said to have been crowned with seaweed and always surrounded by nixies and mermaids while in his hall. Aegir's wife (and sister) was Ran. Ran and Aegir had nine daughters who were the waves; all of their names are poetic names for waves. Aegir brewed ale for the gods. Every winter the gods would drink beer at Aegir's home. He was, therefore, famed for his hospitality. Gold was put onto the floor of the hall to provide light, instead of lighting a fire. Gold is therefore called Aegir's fire. The cups in Aegir's hall were always full, magically refilling themselves. Sailors feared Aegir, and thought he would sometimes surface to destroy ships. Early Saxons made human sacrifices to a god of the sea, possibly connected with Aegir.

Asgard

Asgard is sometimes known as Asgarth. It is the realm of the gods and the home of both the Aesir and Vanir. Is is ruled by Odin, the leader of the Norse deities. It is located in the heavens, but is connected to earth by a bridge, known as Bifrost, sometimes referred to as a rainbow. There is also a route from Asgard to the underworld, the domain of Hel. Valhalla, a hall within Asgard, was the palace for fallen kings, warriors who had died in battle and heroes.

Balder

Balder, the favourite son of Odin and Frigg, is described as a very handsome and wise god. His name means "The Glorious." Some consider him to be a god of light since he was so bright with light shining from him. He was also called the "god of tears." He was killed by his blind twin brother, Hod. Balder's wife was Nanna and they had a son named Forseti. Balder and Nanna lived in Breidablik [The Broad-Gleaming], where nothing unclean could beand there were "fewest baneful runes." Breidablik had a silver roof on golden pillars.Saxo (one of possible authors of the Prose Edda) gave a very different picture of Balder: he was a vicious god who fought with Hod to marry Nanna. Balder's name rarely occurs in place names, therefore, it is thought that not many people worshipped him. The poets used his name to mean warrior.

Bragi

Bragi was the Norse god of poetry and eloquence, and possessed of the fairest speech and the most witty and cunning tongue. He was married to Iduna, who dwelt in the underworld.

Forseti

Forseti was one of the Aesir.

Frey

Frey was the Norse god of fruitfulness, and also the patron of seafarers. Possessed a golden boar which raced through the sky and the underworld, and a magical ship which was always favoured with a fair wind. His wife was Gredr.

Freya

Freya was the daughter of Njord and sister of Frey. She was the leader of the Valkeyries and goddess of love, beauty and endless rebirth. She dispensed wealth and gauaranteed oaths. Halg the warriors slain in battle go to her palace Sessrymnir which is located in Folkvang.

Frigg

Frigg was the wife of Odin, and the goddess of marriage. One of the things she was known for was weaving the clouds. She was, like most of the female deities in Norse mythology, a fairly minor player, having no myths to herself. She is known to be the grieving mother of Balder, and she is the one who sends Hermod to attempt to get Balder back from the underworld.

Heimdall

Heimdall was the son of Odin and the nine virgin daughters of Geirrendour the Giant. He was the Watchman on the Rainbow Bridge, and guarded the approach to Asgard, and for this his senses were razor-sharp, his eyes so keen that he could see the wool growing on the backs of sheep, though they were at the other side of the world, and his ears so acute that he could hear grass growing. Heimdall carried a great battle horn, whose sounding was to signal the final battle, Ragnarok as the giants from Jotunheim swarmed across Bifrost, into Asgard.

Hodur

Hodur the Blind God, who in Norse mythology accidentally killed Balder, and was in turn slain by Bali, Odin's son.

Loki

Loki, according to Germanic myths, was a fire god. He was the son of both Farbauti and Laufey. Loki was a trickster, a mischief-maker, and a shape-changer. Progressively, Loki grew more and more evil, until the gods finally bound and held him prisoner in a dark cave, until the eventual coming of Ragnarok, which is the end of the world. Perhaps Loki's tendencies towards evil can be explained by the fact that both his parents were giants. It seemed way beyond his control to quit playing dirty tricks or even to stop exposing the other gods to danger. Of course, Loki was extremely intelligent and would always save them, just in the nick of time.

He had two wives, the first wife was the giant Angrboda and he had three monstrous children by her. They were:Fenrir, Jormungand, and Hel. All three of them were fearsome examples of the evil side of nature. His second wife was Sigyn and he had two children with her. They were named: Vali and Narvi.

One of the legends surrounding Loki tells about an incident that occurred when he had attended a feast given by Asgard. During this feast, Loki had an exciting time tormenting the other guests with insults and sneers. It was during this feast, the other gods and goddesses lost their patience with Loki. Up until now, they had tolerated him. To escape their wrath, Loki turned himself into a salmon. Odin however, located the fish and sent out an expedition to catch it. When he had been captured, they placed him in a dark cave. Then his son Vali was transformed into a wolf and immediately attacked his poor brother Narvi and killed him.  Narvi's intestines were then used to bind Loki beneath the dripping mouth of a venomous snake. It's in this dreadful place that Loki awaits Ragnarok, then he will emerge from the cave to lead an army of evil and fight with the gods in the final battle. It is during this battle that Loki will meet his end.

Odin

Odin was the leader of the Norse gods and has a myriad of names including All Father, Ygg, Bolverk (evil doer), and Grimnir. He also has many functions within the myths including being a god of war, poetry, wisdom, and death. However, he is not considered the "main" god of each of these functions.

Odin's symbol is his magical spear named Grungir which never misses its mark. He also owns a magic ring called Draupnir which can create nine of itself every night. It was this ring that Odin laid on his son Balder's funeral pyre and which Balder returned to Odin from the underworld. Odin also has two wolves, Geri and Freki, and two ravens, Hugin (thought) and Munin (memory). He sends his ravens out every day to gather knowledge for him.

Odin was destined to die at Ragnarok; Fenris-Wolf swallowed him. Knowing his fate, he still chose to embrace it and do battle, showing the true warrior ethic. He is the god of warriors and kings, not the common man. Among his children are: Thor, Hermod, and Balder. He is married to Frigg, the goddess of marriage.

Thor

Thor was the son of Odin and a member of the Aesir, the name for the collection of Norse gods. He is the god of thunder and the main enemy of the giants. He would smash their heads with his mighty axe-hammer, Mjolnir. To wield this awesome weapon he needed iron gloves and a belt of strength. Mjolnir would return to Thor's hand after being thrown and is symbolic of lightning.

Thor rode around middle-earth in his wagon drawn by two goats. His abode is Thruthheim [Land of Strength] and his hall, Bilskinir. His wife was Sif.

Thor was very well-known for his quick and hot temper. This was often vented on the giants, the main enemies of the gods.

He was foremost of the gods to the common man, who would call on him to ensure fertility, and was widely worshiped. Hammer-shaped amulets were popular, the hammer being a symbol of Thor because it was his weapon, and were worn about the neck well into the Christianisation of Scandinavia. There are molds from that time which contain both cross and hammer shapes, side by side. His name is found in numerous place names, and it was his statue which was central in the great temple at Uppsala. Our day of the week, Thursday, is named for him. Donar was an early version of Thor among the early Germans. The Anglo-Saxons worshiped a thunder god named Thunor.

Tyr

Tyr the Norse god of courage, honour and the unbroken word. He shared with Odin the duty of choosing the heroes the Valkyries transport to Valhalla.

Ullr

Ullr was the Norse god of the chase, a skillful runner and a deadly bowman. During Odin's ten year banishment for womanising, replaced him as head god.

Ve

Ve, one of the brothers of Odin.

Vili

Vili, one of the brothers of Odin.

Vithar

Vithar the Norse god next in strength to Thor. Vithar was supposed to destroy the Fenris wolf, by placing one foot on the lower jaw, grasping the upper and tearing the wolf's mouth apart.

  

NORSE MYTHOLOGY, pre-Christian religious beliefs of the Norse people. The Norse legends and myths about ancient heroes, gods, and the creation and destruction of the universe developed out of the original common mythology of the Germanic peoples and constitute the primary source of knowledge about ancient German mythology. Because Norse mythology was transmitted and altered by medieval Christian historians, the original pagan religious beliefs, attitudes, and practices cannot be determined with certainty. Clearly, however, Norse mythology developed slowly, and the relative importance of different gods and heroes varied at different times and places. Thus, the cult of Odin, chief of the gods, may have spread from western Germany to Scandinavia not long before the myths were recorded; minor gods including Ull, the fertility god Njord, and Heimdallmay represent older deities who lost strength and popularity as Odin became more important. Odin, a god of war, was also associated with learning, wisdom, poetry, and magic.

Most information about Norse mythology is preserved in the Old Norse literature, in the Eddas and later sagas; other material appears in commentaries by the Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus and the German writer Adam of Bremen (fl. about 1075). Fragments of legends are sometimes preserved in old inscriptions and in later folklore.Gods and Heroes. Besides Odin, the major deities of Norse mythology were his wife, Frigg, goddess of the home; Thor, god of thunder, who protected humans and the other gods from the giants and who was especially popular among the Norse peasantry; Frey, a god of prosperity; and Freya, sister of Frey, a fertility goddess. Other, lesser gods were Balder, Hermod, Tyr, Bragi, and Forseti; Idun, Nanna, and Sif were among the goddesses. The principle of evil among the gods was represented by the trickster Loki. Many of these deities do not seem to have had special functions; they merely appear as characters in legendary tales.

Many ancient mythological heroes, some of whom may have been derived from real persons, were believed to be descendants of the gods; among them were Sigurd the Dragon-slayer; Helgi Thrice-Born, Harald Wartooth, Hadding, Starkad, and the Valkyries. The Valkyries, a band of warrior-maidens that included Svava and Brunhild, served Odin as choosers of slain warriors, who were taken to reside in Valhalla. There the warriors would spend their days fighting and nights feasting until Ragnarok, the day of the final world battle, in which the old gods would perish and a new reign of peace and love would be instituted. Ordinary individuals were received after death by the goddess Hel in a cheerless underground world.

Norse mythology included dwarves; elves; and the Norns, who distributed fates to mortals. The ancient Norse also believed in personal spirits, such as the fylgja and the hamingja, which in some respects resembled the Christian idea of the soul. The gods were originally conceived as a confederation of two formerly warring divine tribes, the Aesir and the Vanir. Odin was originally the leader of the Aesir, which consisted of at least 12 gods. Together all the gods lived in Asgard Creation Myth. The Eddic poem Völuspá (Prophecy of the Seeress) portrays a period of primeval chaos, followed by the creation of giants and gods and, finally, of humankind. Ginnungagap was the yawning void, Jotunheim the home of the giants, Niflheim the region of cold, and Muspellsheim the realm of heat. The great world-tree, Yggdrasil, reached through all time and space, but it was perpetually under attack from Nidhogg, the evil serpent. The fountain of Mimir, source of hidden wisdom, lay under a root of the tree. Religious Ritual. The Norse gods were served by a class of priest-chieftains called godar. Worship was originally conducted outdoors, under guardian trees, near sacred wells, or within sacred arrangements of stones. Later, wooden temples were used, with altars and with carved representations of the gods. The most important temple was at Old Uppsala, Sweden, where animals and even human beings were sacrificed.

The Norse Gods

Aegir Asgard

Balder Bragi

Forseti Frey

Freya Frigg

Heimdall Hodur

Loki Odin

Thor Tyr

Ullr Ve

Vili Vithar

Aegir

Aegir is the god of the sea. He is also known as Hler. Aegir was often called the ruler of the sea in the Poetic Edda. He was a personification of the ocean, be it good or evil. He caused storms with his anger, and the Skalds (Viking poets) said a ship went into "Aegir's wide jaws" when it wrecked. Aegir was often said to have been crowned with seaweed and always surrounded by nixies and mermaids while in his hall. Aegir's wife (and sister) was Ran. Ran and Aegir had nine daughters who were the waves; all of their names are poetic names for waves. Aegir brewed ale for the gods. Every winter the gods would drink beer at Aegir's home. He was, therefore, famed for his hospitality. Gold was put onto the floor of the hall to provide light, instead of lighting a fire. Gold is therefore called Aegir's fire. The cups in Aegir's hall were always full, magically refilling themselves. Sailors feared Aegir, and thought he would sometimes surface to destroy ships. Early Saxons made human sacrifices to a god of the sea, possibly connected with Aegir.

Asgard

Asgard is sometimes known as Asgarth. It is the realm of the gods and the home of both the Aesir and Vanir. Is is ruled by Odin, the leader of the Norse deities. It is located in the heavens, but is connected to earth by a bridge, known as Bifrost, sometimes referred to as a rainbow. There is also a route from Asgard to the underworld, the domain of Hel. Valhalla, a hall within Asgard, was the palace for fallen kings, warriors who had died in battle and heroes.

Balder

Balder, the favourite son of Odin and Frigg, is described as a very handsome and wise god. His name means "The Glorious." Some consider him to be a god of light since he was so bright with light shining from him. He was also called the "god of tears." He was killed by his blind twin brother, Hod. Balder's wife was Nanna and they had a son named Forseti. Balder and Nanna lived in Breidablik [The Broad-Gleaming], where nothing unclean could beand there were "fewest baneful runes." Breidablik had a silver roof on golden pillars.Saxo (one of possible authors of the Prose Edda) gave a very different picture of Balder: he was a vicious god who fought with Hod to marry Nanna. Balder's name rarely occurs in place names, therefore, it is thought that not many people worshipped him. The poets used his name to mean warrior.

Bragi

Bragi was the Norse god of poetry and eloquence, and possessed of the fairest speech and the most witty and cunning tongue. He was married to Iduna, who dwelt in the underworld.

Forseti

Forseti was one of the Aesir.

Frey

Frey was the Norse god of fruitfulness, and also the patron of seafarers. Possessed a golden boar which raced through the sky and the underworld, and a magical ship which was always favoured with a fair wind. His wife was Gredr.

Freya

Freya was the daughter of Njord and sister of Frey. She was the leader of the Valkeyries and goddess of love, beauty and endless rebirth. She dispensed wealth and gauaranteed oaths. Halg the warriors slain in battle go to her palace Sessrymnir which is located in Folkvang.

Frigg

Frigg was the wife of Odin, and the goddess of marriage. One of the things she was known for was weaving the clouds. She was, like most of the female deities in Norse mythology, a fairly minor player, having no myths to herself. She is known to be the grieving mother of Balder, and she is the one who sends Hermod to attempt to get Balder back from the underworld.

Heimdall

Heimdall was the son of Odin and the nine virgin daughters of Geirrendour the Giant. He was the Watchman on the Rainbow Bridge, and guarded the approach to Asgard, and for this his senses were razor-sharp, his eyes so keen that he could see the wool growing on the backs of sheep, though they were at the other side of the world, and his ears so acute that he could hear grass growing. Heimdall carried a great battle horn, whose sounding was to signal the final battle, Ragnarok as the giants from Jotunheim swarmed across Bifrost, into Asgard.

Hodur

Hodur the Blind God, who in Norse mythology accidentally killed Balder, and was in turn slain by Bali, Odin's son.

Loki

Loki, according to Germanic myths, was a fire god. He was the son of both Farbauti and Laufey. Loki was a trickster, a mischief-maker, and a shape-changer. Progressively, Loki grew more and more evil, until the gods finally bound and held him prisoner in a dark cave, until the eventual coming of Ragnarok, which is the end of the world. Perhaps Loki's tendencies towards evil can be explained by the fact that both his parents were giants. It seemed way beyond his control to quit playing dirty tricks or even to stop exposing the other gods to danger. Of course, Loki was extremely intelligent and would always save them, just in the nick of time.

He had two wives, the first wife was the giant Angrboda and he had three monstrous children by her. They were:Fenrir, Jormungand, and Hel. All three of them were fearsome examples of the evil side of nature. His second wife was Sigyn and he had two children with her. They were named: Vali and Narvi.

One of the legends surrounding Loki tells about an incident that occurred when he had attended a feast given by Asgard. During this feast, Loki had an exciting time tormenting the other guests with insults and sneers. It was during this feast, the other gods and goddesses lost their patience with Loki. Up until now, they had tolerated him. To escape their wrath, Loki turned himself into a salmon. Odin however, located the fish and sent out an expedition to catch it. When he had been captured, they placed him in a dark cave. Then his son Vali was transformed into a wolf and immediately attacked his poor brother Narvi and killed him.  Narvi's intestines were then used to bind Loki beneath the dripping mouth of a venomous snake. It's in this dreadful place that Loki awaits Ragnarok, then he will emerge from the cave to lead an army of evil and fight with the gods in the final battle. It is during this battle that Loki will meet his end.

Odin

Odin was the leader of the Norse gods and has a myriad of names including All Father, Ygg, Bolverk (evil doer), and Grimnir. He also has many functions within the myths including being a god of war, poetry, wisdom, and death. However, he is not considered the "main" god of each of these functions.

Odin's symbol is his magical spear named Grungir which never misses its mark. He also owns a magic ring called Draupnir which can create nine of itself every night. It was this ring that Odin laid on his son Balder's funeral pyre and which Balder returned to Odin from the underworld. Odin also has two wolves, Geri and Freki, and two ravens, Hugin (thought) and Munin (memory). He sends his ravens out every day to gather knowledge for him.

Odin was destined to die at Ragnarok; Fenris-Wolf swallowed him. Knowing his fate, he still chose to embrace it and do battle, showing the true warrior ethic. He is the god of warriors and kings, not the common man. Among his children are: Thor, Hermod, and Balder. He is married to Frigg, the goddess of marriage.

Thor

Thor was the son of Odin and a member of the Aesir, the name for the collection of Norse gods. He is the god of thunder and the main enemy of the giants. He would smash their heads with his mighty axe-hammer, Mjolnir. To wield this awesome weapon he needed iron gloves and a belt of strength. Mjolnir would return to Thor's hand after being thrown and is symbolic of lightning.

Thor rode around middle-earth in his wagon drawn by two goats. His abode is Thruthheim [Land of Strength] and his hall, Bilskinir. His wife was Sif.

Thor was very well-known for his quick and hot temper. This was often vented on the giants, the main enemies of the gods.

He was foremost of the gods to the common man, who would call on him to ensure fertility, and was widely worshiped. Hammer-shaped amulets were popular, the hammer being a symbol of Thor because it was his weapon, and were worn about the neck well into the Christianisation of Scandinavia. There are molds from that time which contain both cross and hammer shapes, side by side. His name is found in numerous place names, and it was his statue which was central in the great temple at Uppsala. Our day of the week, Thursday, is named for him. Donar was an early version of Thor among the early Germans. The Anglo-Saxons worshiped a thunder god named Thunor.